UPDATE: Tractor driver killed in Sarasota County

A Port Charlotte man died after he was run over by the heavy machinery.

STAFF REPORT

A Port Charlotte man was killed Thursday morning when he was run over by the tractor he was operating.

The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, EMS and Fire Department were dispatched at 9:15 a.m. to the 900 block of Packinghouse Road, near Cattlemen Road and Palmer Boulevard.

Garry Miller, 49, was apparently operating the heavy machinery on private property when he got off of the tractor but left it in gear, according to the sheriff’s office.

The tractor somehow moved forward, running over Miller.

A passerby who saw the tractor against a fence stopped and called 911 when he discovered the victim.

Miller’s family was notified.

The incident has been classified as an accidental death.

EARLIER: Emergency personnel are on scene of a fatality accident involving a tractor in Sarasota County.

Authorities are not exactly sure what caused the single-vehicle accident in which the tractor's operator ended up beneath the heavy machinery, Capt. Susan Pearson, spokeswoman for the Sarasota County Fire Department, said.

The accident was reported about 9:15 a.m. in the 900 block of Packinghouse Road, in the area of Cattlemen Road and Palmer Boulevard.

The driver has not been identified.

The fire department's special operations team is on scene to extract the body from the tractor, Pearson said.

No other details were immediately available.

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